Electrical appliances, such as those employed in the home for cooking, washing, refrigeration and the like, are, in some cases, susceptible to being wired incorrectly during assembly. Such miswiring of these appliances can result in damage to the electronic controls for the appliances, and, in some cases, can also present a shock hazard to the user. In less severe cases, the miswiring can cause the electrical appliance to perform at less than its intended capability.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method to detect when an electrical appliance has been wired incorrectly, to prevent operation of the appliance in such an instance, and to alert the homeowner, installation technician, or potentially even the manufacturer of the problem before any harm to the user, or any damage is done to the appliance. Embodiments of the invention provide such a system and such a method. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.